Happy Birthday Daniel!

My oldest at Bass Pro. I caught this moment and it's priceless.

Today my oldest son turns 6. Wow. That's hard to believe for me. It was bitter cold and rainy the day I went to have him at the hospital. I was in labor for 2 days almost before he decided to make his appearance. He was a whopping 9lbs 30z and about 21 inches long. He had a head full of black,thick hair. He had a good pair of lungs too. I thought parenting was going to be very easy,but I quickly found out otherwise. Sleepless nights,exhaustion,not having my routine,and many other things showed me that this was an adventure to say the least.

We've been through some rough patches,but we have also been through some awesome times. Daniel Paul is spirited,energetic,strong willed,determined,competitive,and very talkative. He loves sports,army men,police,and hunting. He keeps me on my toes and finally,yes I said finally, sleeps through the night. He is in Kindergarten (we home school remember?) and is learning to read. He's smart as a whip,but likes to be hands on instead of in the books. I love him more than he knows. He brings me a lot of joy. He loves his Daddy and that is is hero. He has a lot of leadership qualities and I know God has great things in store for him. We cannot wait to see where God leads him in life.

Daniel Paul only a day old here.

Happy birthday Aaron!

My sweet second born son is turning 4 today. I cannot believe it!! Michael Aaron (named after his Daddy) came into this world on this day 4 years ago. He is a bright little boy. He is full of wonder and has a big imagination. He loves playing with cars,tractors,trucks,anything that goes vroom! He is a left handed child and he is very smart for his age. He loves to learn,read,and color. He speaks so well too. I love him so much. I cannot wait to see what God does in his life. He loves music and to sing. He love to be outdoors and loves to swing. He can make you laugh a lot and loves his brothers. Our life would not be the same without him for sure. He is a very sweet and affectionate little boy.

We will be celebrating his birthday by taking him out later this evening to spend some time with him. He's so excited and so are we! We're so thankful to God for blessing us with him as our little boy.

 

 

 

 

Games anyone?

I have always loved to play board games and nothing has changed. Though I am 30 years old, I am still a sucker for board games. My husband on the other hand is not that crazy about them. He plays because he likes to spend the time with me,but he would rather be doing something else. I don't force him that much,only a little.

When we had our children, one thing I could not wait for was to play board games with them. Is that crazy? I had no idea what all I would go through before getting them to that stage,but hey we survived! So now my two oldest are big enough to understand some of them and it's been really fun! I taught them how to play Uno,which we play a lot. I also like to look online to find fun games I can print out. I particularly like one site called Free Homeschool Deals. It is such a great place for educational and fun resources. Jamerrill has all kinds of neat stuff,including a list of free ebooks for the day. You can go to the site and just search for any of the three games.

A few months back I found 2 bingo games and 1 memory game. I was so excited! It's hard to find these in stores anymore. Everyone plays them on the tablets or computer I assume. I love technology,but I love playing actual board games. It is so much funner!

The ABC Memory game.

My boys have enjoyed this one. It has helped my oldest recognize his letters more. I love how colorful it is! I took postal tape and laminated the boards and calling cards. I wanted them to last and we all know with kids that is hard to do.

We first used play coins,but needed more. So Daniel picked out the patriotic buttons for us to use.

States Bingo game.

I almost flipped out,okay, I did flip out when I saw this on her site! I had been looking for a way to teach them the states,but in a fun way. My boys loved this game the best! My middle son recognizes each state by site,and he can put some states with the right names. I did the same thing with the postal tape and laminated these boards and cards.

Aaron playing states bingo. He is a smarty pants!

Daniel playing states bingo. He really loves this one.

ABC Memory game.

We have not played this one yet. I have 3 more cards to laminate. I ran out of postal tape and have totally forgot to buy more! So typical of a busy Mom right? It matches the upper case letter to the lower case letter. It should be fun when we play it!


Don't forget to check out Jamerrill's site where she has tons of free stuff to help educate while having fun! That was a goal for mine this year in home schooling: make learning fun! I have suceeded so far!

Linking up with The Better Mom today.

Our Fall Trip- Pumpkin Patch

Fall is my favorite season of the year. I love the coolness of the air,college football,and the beautiful scenery. We usually don't have a long Fall,but we have had some Fall days already here in Alabama. It's been so wonderful!

Last Monday I took my 2 oldest boys on a field trip with our home school group to a pumpkin patch. We don't celebrate Halloween,so I wasn't sure if the farm would incorporate that into the patch. I was very pleased that it did not! It was just Fall decor and pumpkins. There were about 50 kids there with our group. My boys had SO much fun too. I even had fun just watching all the kids. It wasn't far from our home here in Alabama,just across the state line into Mississippi.

They had some neat things the kids could do. The funnest for the kids was just running around in the patch, I think.

The kids loved playing on the old time hay stack. They had bells up there and the kids raced to the top.

My second son,Aaron,loved it.
 

Daniel and Jachin,our Pastor's youngest son.

The kids loved the corn crib. It was my first time to see one.

Aaron got on the metal horse to try it out. This was so cute!

They had it decorated so good! An outhouse for us to take pictures in.

Seth and Aaron playing on the wagon. Seth is one of their friends we go to church with also.

Kaleb and Daniel playing checkers. Kaleb is our Pastor's oldest son.

They had a general store where they sold snow cones and popcorn for a $1. It was so cute! The kids ran around and played on all the stuff they had set out in the patch. They had a hay maze,tire swing,wagon to get in,a checker board,and a fun house. That isn't all either. We also went on a hay ride through the nursery part of the farm. My boys really loved that!

So cute! Aaron isn't as social as Daniel. He just kind of played by himself a lot. So I followed him around taking pictures. :)

Enjoying a snow cone and popcorn before the hay ride. Another Mom snapped this photo.

Aaron in the hay maze. It had already been kind of messed with by the big kids.

Riding the tire hose swing. So cute!

Seth,Aaron,and Daniel having fun. Such a neat idea!

Another snapped by a Mom there. Aaron decided to push the truck ha!

My big boys playing with the checker board.

Our home school group. This isn't all of them either. So blessed!

The people that were running everything were so nice! We knew some of them from teaching at elementary schools that a lot of us Mom's attended when we were younger. It was nice to be around such friendly faces. I really want to take them back before they take the Fall decorations down for Christmas decorations. If not it was such a fun experience for them and the rest of us.

We ended the time there by having a picnic lunch in the patch. This was our view. Such a beautiful Fall day!

 We usually don't do much until November for Thanksgiving,then December for Christmas. This was something new for us.  What Fall activities have you done this October so far?

Dealing With Emotions

Emotions. They are a crazy thing. They are a good thing and they can be a bad thing, if not controlled. We all have them and we all have to learn to control them. But how do we teach our children to control their emotions? I am learning this is tricky,hard,and not always fun. I have 3 boys and they all have some strong emotions. They get it honest, my husband and I are a pair of passionate people. When they are infants you can only do so much as far as talking with them,but I have found it easier to help them once they are 3 and up.

I have not figured it out yet that's for sure. It's something I am just praying and seeking advice on. My second son is very emotional,by that I mean, he displays his emotions more than the others and a lot more loudly. I have found some good ways and have been given some good advice on how to help them. I wanted to share them here and welcome ANY other Biblical advice from you ladies about this topic.

• Go to scripture- This is a no brainer for me. Anytime I have a problem the Word is the ultimate source. Find scriptures that talk about anger,long sufferance,kindness,gentleness,and how we treat others. You could even find them ahead of time and use the index cards with rings to write them on. That way when something happens you can just go straight to the verses.
• Talk it out- Ask questions and see what the problem may be. Try to see what is going on and why they are displaying the emotion(s). You may can avoid any damage (or further damage by talking with them).
• Talk about not acting on our emotions- The 2 most displayed emotions from my boys are anger and whining/complaining. I try to remember to tell them that it is fine to have emotions,but we have to be careful about how we respond or act because of the emotions. They are young,but they definitely understand what I am telling them.
• Show them the right way to act- I do this a lot with my 2 year old. If he screams or throws something I will mimic him and tell him that is not what we do,instead we do this and I show him or tell him. It rings a bell in that little head for sure. With my older ones I will tell them how to say something or how we should react and then I ask them to do it.
• Pray over them- Praying for them to grasp what you are saying and that you will have the words to say to them is imperative. Even pray with them if they are old enough. 

This advice is not the short way to help our children,but it is some of the best ways. It seems much easier to just let them throw the fits or act on the anger,but in the end it is only spoiling them. If they never learn to control their emotions they will not be pleasant to be around. They definitely won't be prepared for the real world. Like I said I have NOT figured it all out yet. I am still learning of ways to help them,but these are the ones that have worked and we try to use. 

How do you help your children with their emotions? Share any tips and advice please!

 Linking up with Darlene at Time-Warp Wife today for Titus 2sdays.

Our September

I've slacked off of my writing lately. My blog will always be here and if it isn't, then it wasn't that important. I do want to still write some,but just not every day like I was trying to do. I loved having guest bloggers too. I want to still and try do that some. Thank you for all who do read my humble writings.

So here is what has been happening around here lately....

• Our boys caught some kind of virus that has been causing a stir. They caught a virus that was causing mucus and that was causing bronchospasms at night. It's been something we have never experienced and never want too again. We saw 2 Doctors and 2 Chiropractors and none could pin point it or they just wouldn't say. We suspect viral asthma and it will go away. It's been 4 weeks since it began with our oldest and the virus has about run it's course. The younger 2 are going into the second week of it. They have been improving though after we started giving them a honey and lemon concoction. Thank God for His natural herbs and fruits. Prayers are still appreciated for them and us. My faith was rocked that's for sure. I questioned so much. It's hard to explain what they were doing,but it was terrifying. I just got discouraged and down. Thank God for other believers who encouraged me and for my husband who would not let me give up.
• We went to Texas for vacation last week. With the spasms we weren't sure about going that far,but we decided to make the trip. The spams were not going to kill them and there was nothing we could do here that we couldn't do there. We left last Tuesday evening with some friends. Oh it was so much fun! We went last year and it was our first vacation. Some family friends live out there and love us like their own. We spent Wednesday,Thursday,and Friday out on Lake Livingston. They have a home right there on the lake. It was beautiful and peaceful. I could have stayed there a little longer. We left Saturday morning for home. Our boys had so much fun!! I just love watching their faces light up with joy. We are so grateful for the people God has put in our life. We are so blessed with people who are willing to open up their homes to us. 
• I have been planning for school to start. We started this past Monday. My oldest is 5 1/2 and my second oldest is 3 1/2. My oldest started history,science,and some math. I love our curriculum too. It's simple and hands on. It's all Bible based,which I love. So far so good. I have only a few goals. The main two are: for my boys to learn more about the Word of God and for learning to be fun. They're small and we never stop learning. We are always playing and doing things,we just don't do formal school year round. I'm just thankful to be able to teach our boys our morals and the Word of God.

So that's our September so far. I will share a couple of pictures with you all. I pray you are having a great month so far!

Daniel and Aaron ready to have some fun.

The view that greeted us each morning. Breathtaking!

I love this shot.

The beautiful lake.

Johnathan enjoying the boat.

Aaron coloring his page.

Doing a craft with the letter A.

Daniel doing some work.

Daniel's collage representing Jesus as the center of history.

From Missions to Motherhood

When we let God change our hearts and desires it really is amazing. Sometimes He does it without us even knowing it, I think. Sometimes He does it and we resist and rebel.

I really didn't know He was changing mine. Looking back on the pas 6 years I can see that He did. He did not necessarily take my former desires away,but He put other ones in me that take priority over the former ones.

I longed to be in foreign missions after I went on a mission trip in 2003 to Honduras. It was my first time out of country and I was excited. I had no clue what it would be like. It was heartbreaking. It was inspiring. It was hard. Seeing people so in need of things that I had taken fore-granted every. single. day. Seeing children with no one to care for them and no where to sleep. Seeing very young men in prison or detention centers that were so hardened towards anyone. It was an eye opener for me, a young high school graduate, that came from a land of plenty. I had family who loved me. I had food galore. I had clothes,a bed,a home,and I had Jesus. It shook me to the core. It radically changed how I looked at things once I came back to America. Like a believer set on fire for the first time I wanted to run,to go,to help. I wanted to go live there and be the hands and feet of Jesus. I prayed and prayed for that country. I had a heart for the people.

I never got to go do what I wanted. I never had an open door to go back there. I ended up going to Bible college,a small Baptist college in North Mississippi. I married the love of my life and we moved to the big city. I haven't forgotten about Honduras or missions. Life just took me a different course. I thought is this really what I should be doing? What about the children,the women,the people? Where are they? God heard my prayers those days in my dorm at college when I asked Him to mold me and shape me into the image of Jesus. Oh boy did He. He gave me 3 precious boys,who have done so much for me.

I fought it at first. I didn't want to be just a Mother. I mean, I sit at home all day taking care of children who have no clue how hard it is. I wanted to do something big for God. Something important. Changing diapers? Fixing 3 meals a day,not to mention snacks? Important? Yes,very. Jesus washed the nasty,dirty feet of his disciples. He got down on their level,He served them. I am being the hands and feet of Jesus when I care for my children and husband. God began to speak to me about my children being those in need of Jesus. Just because they are born here in America doesn't mean they know Jesus. No one does until they are told what He has done for them. It was my job to rear these precious children and guide them to the Lord in all that I do. It struck me. It was a glorious eye opener. It was like I had my own mission field in my home. I could literally pour so much of the Word into these boys that they could be so full of God like I wanted the people in Honduras to be. It was amazing.

I can look back and say I still long to do mission work overseas,but for now I am so passionate about my boys. I love them with a fierce love and it's not me at all,t's all the Lord. I want them to know more about Jesus,God, and the Word that they will impact their generation at an early age. God put His heart in me for my children. It isn't easy and it's a lot of blood,sweat,and tears. It's a lot of praying and crying too. But these are my little lost souls that I am I responsible for. I have to plant seeds so the Holy Spirit can move upon them and draw them to the Living God. I pray daily that when the Spirit draws them they will come and they will surrender. I want them to be radical for Jesus. I want them to love Him so much and live for Him in every detail of their lives. What we do with our children is so important. It's so vital. They will have to make decisions we are making today and that is important work.

Mothers we have a mission field in our own home!! Don't forsake it. Embrace it and draw your strength from the Lord. He will uphold you with His mighty right hand.

The work of the Holy Spirit is so amazing. It's so sacred. God loves us so much and wants to use us,if we will just open our hearts to Him.What desire does God want to put in you?


Linking up with Darlene @ Time-Warp Wife for Titus 2sdays.